188 trading post
|footer = }} The 188 trading post is a location in the Mojave Wasteland. The trading post is located on the intersection of Highway 93 and Highway 95, directly north of El Dorado Dry Lake, west-northwest of Boulder City. Background The interchange of Highway 95 and Highway 93 has seen high traffic both before and after the Great War, especially after the New California Republic moved into the Mojave around 2274. However, a trading post wasn't established here until September of 2281, when a pair of traders from Primm set up shop here after the NCRCF prison break forced them to flee the city the wave of escaped convicts.The Courier: "Who are you?" Michelle Kerr: "Name's Michelle. My Dad and me run this store. His name's Samuel. I take the day shift and he takes nights. We came here about a month ago, when Primm went to hell on account of the prison break north of there. Found a bin to call home and set up shop." (Michelle Kerr's dialogue)The Courier: "Who are you?" Samuel Kerr: "Samuel Kerr at your service. Me and my daughter Michelle run this fine establishment. We came here from Primm about a month past. Doesn't look like much, but it's one hell of a location." (Samuel Kerr's dialogue) Samuel Kerr and his daughter, Michelle, chose this location after realizing just how much traffic was going to flow up Highway 95 to Vegas now that the I-15 was shut down, adding to the usual troop movements between Hoover Dam and Camp McCarran. Capitalizing on their experience in Primm, they established the 188 Slop 'n Shop, offering food, water, supplies and repair services to travelers.The Courier: "Why'd you settle in this dump?" Michelle Kerr: "There's more to the 188 than meets the eye. Troops move back and forth on 93 all the time, and 95 is how NCR folks come and go from Vegas. No shortage of customers... so long as Legion raids south of here don't get worse, anyways." (Michelle Kerr's dialogue)The Courier: "Why's business so good here?" Samuel Kerr: "When 15 shut down, 95 became the route NCR citizens use to get to the Strip - or limp back home, after the Strip's drained 'em of caps. We get 'em coming and going. Coming, the suckers flush with caps they saved to gamble on the Strip... ...and going, the same folks, but now they're losers who'll trade you the shirt off their backs so they don't starve before they make it back home. Add in the troopers marching back and forth from McCarran and the Dam, and well, let's just say we don't miss Primm." (Samuel Kerr's dialogue) Through 2281, the 188 trading post became a hub of commerce frequented by soldiers, merchants, and NCR citizens either heading to New Vegas with pockets full of caps or returning back home with nothing but the shirts on their backs. Even the Gun Runners took notice and set up shop at the post to coordinate caravans in the field, with an independent arms merchant selling wares out of the back of her truck. It's not known which of the Kerrs came up with the clever name (adding the highway numbers 95 and 93 to equal 188) but the name caught on well.Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p.396-397: "'5.02 188 Trading Post''' ''Formed after the Powder Ganger break-out down at Primm 4.17 forced traders northward, the intersection of the 95 and 93 (hence "188") is now a bustling Trading spot, catering to the NCR from Boulder City 3.32 and Hoover Dam 3.33 as well as offering good connections down the 95. Start on the eastern side of the intersection." (Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition Tour of the Mojave Wasteland)The Courier: "Why's this place called the 188?" Michelle Kerr: "You do know these old roads were numbered, right? We're standing where the 95 and 93 meet. And 95 plus 93 equals... 188." (Michelle Kerr's dialogue) Layout The location is a small outpost made up of makeshift shacks and tents on a pre-War overpass, befit with derelict vehicles and barrel fires. There is an arms merchant at the northwest end of the overpass, and Veronica, a recruitable companion, stands near the center by a picnic table. Facing Veronica is the merchant Samuel Kerr and his daughter Michelle who run a small shop cooperatively. Samuel is the bartender and does repairs on customers' equipment. Underneath the overpass is Alexander, a member of the Gun Runners, his bodyguard, and a young boy named The Forecaster who sits by the wall. Alexander will sell weapons, weapon mods, junk and ammunition to the Courier if a Guns skill check is passed. His offerings are not as broad as the main Gun Runner shop, but he sells items not commonly sold there. There are a few NCR troops wandering around a tent on the northern side of the overpass. A few beds can be found here and used by the Courier. Later on, at high levels, some of these NCR troopers will be replaced with NCR heavy troopers equipped with various high-level weaponry such as heavy incinerators. The trading post may be attacked by Legionary assassins searching for the Courier when they are in the proximity of the location. Inhabitants * Alexander * Arms merchant * Ezekiel * The Forecaster * Gun Runner guard * Michelle Kerr * Samuel Kerr * Veronica Santangelo Notable loot * Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle cap - Lying on the bar. Appearances The 188 trading post appears only in Fallout: New Vegas. Behind the scenes * The 188 trading post is based on the real world location of Railroad Pass Casino in Henderson, Nevada. The original junction of Highway 93 and Highway 95 was once located in front of the property before the present-day interchange between these two routes was constructed about one mile to the east in Boulder City, Nevada. ;Spare Us the Cutter * The 188 features many added, then disabled NPCs and numerous abandoned ideas, consistent with it being one of the earliest locations to be implemented in the game and quickly finished to move on to other ones. * Alexander has only one bodyguard in the final game. He was supposed to have at least one more, and their AI packages would cause them to alternate guarding and sleeping so that he has a bodyguard at all times. One works the day shift, the other the night. There are actually two such bodyguards set up for both eventualities (for a total of four altogether), but only one of each kind is actually used in the game (and in the final game the night shift guard is disabled). * There are also lots more civilians that were intended to be used here. There are three different NPCs for both "civilianHopeful" and "CivilianUnhappy" dispositions. The different kinds of civilians have different dialogue topics where they either praise or disparage the NCR and Vegas. In the final game, there are only one of each present on the game map at the 188. They are both disabled and can never be seen. * The unhappy civilians have a lot of dialogue, including a topic where they have the ability to beg the player character for caps. This dialogue fork has a lot of different options, but it has a tiny chance of ever being seen; it's a random topic like the rest of their dialogue. * The merchants here were supposed to have a water brahmin. For some reason, this was placed on the map but disabled. * There are two of each kind of NCR trooper (regular or power armor depending on the game's story progression) placed here, but in the final game, only one of each kind is enabled. * There are also several out of work mercenary characters killing time here. In the final game, they are disabled. References Category:188 trading post Category:Fallout: New Vegas locations de:188-Handelsposten es:Puesto de comercio 188 fi:188 Trading Post pl:Punkt handlowy 188 pt:188 trading post ru:188 — Торговый пост uk:188 — Торговий пост zh:188贸易站